Foreign Affairs published a significant article by James Fearson (Stanford University) who traces the approximately 125 civil wars since WWII.
The majority of these conflicts are ultimately resolved by power exerted by one group against the other. In the end, one wins and the other loses. Whenever shared agreements have occurred (and they are relatively rare), the tend not to last, e.g., Lebanon. Note that even when civil wars are ended where there is domination by one side, seldom does the outcome become stable for many years. There is no realistic hope for even another "strong man" to exert control in Iraq. No such person with sufficient personal authority over a large segment of the population has been identified. Most often they come out of the military which is virtually non-existing in Iraq.
The most stunning observation is that, in contrast to the usual antagonism between two forces, the civil war in Iraq is being played out with multiple groups within the larger cohorts of Sunnis and Shiites.
The only way to address the situation is a combination of diplomacy, financial incentives, and some limited and specifically-targeted military interventions. Even if this process were to be adopted, the United States will be involved in Iraq for a long, long time.
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